Government

The Marion County Fiscal Court is going to have to spend thousands of dollars to purchase new road signs after approximately 50 road signs were stolen or vandalized recently.
Marion County Road Supervisor Tommy Lee informed the court during its regular meeting on May 19 that, at $100 per sign and post, that equals $5,000 worth of signs and equipment.
“If any of our citizens see someone tearing a sign down and we get a license plate we can pursue actions against them,” Magistrate John Arthur Elder III said.

More than 1,500 Marion Countians reportedly signed a petition protesting the recallable nickel recently, and the Marion County Clerk’s Office has until June 12 to determine whether the petition is sufficient or insufficient. Upon completing that determination, Marion County Clerk Chad Mattingly will provide both the petition committee and the Marion County Board of Education a detailed report of any specific deficiencies found in the document.

Investigators for the state legislature will examine how Kentucky officials annually forfeit taxes on $36.6 billion in property values under the farmland preservation tax break, a subject highlighted in February by a series of stories in the Herald-Leader.

The number of grandchildren being raised by grandparents has more than doubled in the last four decades, rising to a total of 5.4 million children in ‘grandfamily’ homes, according to the Population Reference Bureau.
It’s becoming more commonplace for multigenerational families to live together, but many grandparents struggle to make ends meet without extra support, according to Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear.

A petition of more than 1,500 signatures was filed Saturday morning, May 14, in the Marion County Clerk’s office that could put the Marion County Board of Education’s recallable nickel on voting ballots.
According to Marion County Clerk Chad Mattingly, a minimum of 741 valid signatures are needed to make the petition legit. (The petition must be signed by a minimum of 10 percent of the voters who cast ballots in the 2012 presidential election.)

Lebanon and Marion County continue to give visitors more and more reasons to visit this community at the epicenter of Kentucky barrel and bourbon making. The “Economic Impact of Kentucky’s Travel and Tourism Industry” report has been released and, once again, Marion County’s numbers have increased over the previous year.
In 2015, tourism expenditures in Marion County totaled more than $27 million, which reflects an increase of 8 percent above 2014 figures.

Marion County could have its very own convention center, of sorts, in the future.
One of the first steps in making that a reality took place at the Marion County Fiscal Court’s regular monthly meeting Thursday, May 5, when magistrates voted to proceed with the architectural planning phase of a multipurpose facility, which could be constructed at the Marion County Fairgrounds.

The Marion County Fiscal Court unanimously voted Thursday to hire an additional fulltime administrative position for the judge/executive’s office that will primarily focus on collecting delinquent garbage bills and occupational taxes.
In January, Marion County Judge/Executive David Daugherty and his staff began to dig into the county’s long list of delinquent garbage accounts, and this new position will enable the county to keep a much closer eye on delinquent accounts.